"You're jealous."
Minako's voice on the phone was all matter-of-factly, but Rei heard the dry amusement nevertheless and could picture the lopsided malicious smile on her friend just too well.
"No! Of course not! I just don't think it's okay that he has a date with that woman."
"But Naru's mom is really very nice," said Usagi, the other participant in the conference call. "And she's single."
"I know she's nice, I've met her," said Rei. "But she thinks Jadeite is a harmless boy, all she knows is that he used to work for her, and went out of his way to cheer her up when she was stressed out. She doesn't remember he put a youma into her that made her ruin her show and threaten her own daughter. And that Jadeite hit her daughter so hard that she fell to the floor unconscious.
Didn't you say Naru still has nightmares about it, Usagi?"
"Yes, but... Naru-chan knows about the Dark Kingdom. She saw me transform, and I told her everything, back then. And she said she's kind of relieved that she wasn't hallucinating it."
"But how would she feel if she saw her mum and Jadeite dating, and recognized him as the bad guy?"
"She knows the Shitennou aren't bad guys any more. We're friends. I tell her about these things. After all, I often have one of the guys with me for protection when I go to town with Naru-chan. She's gotten used to them."
'"To Jadeite, too?" asked Rei unbelieving.
"I'm not sure they have met yet..." said Usagi, trying to rake her memory for it.
"Wait a minute," interrupted Minako her sharply. "Since when is it the Shitennou's job to protect you? That's our job. They better keep out of that. I don't want them to nose around in your life. What are they thinking?"
"Oh... errmm... Minako-chan, please don't be mad..." Usagi obviously hadn't intended to let this bit of information slip.
"Don't you trust us, Usagi? Why don't you call us if you need protection? Do you really feel safer with one of those guys around?"
"It's not like this, Minako-chan. You don't understand... look, this is not really a safety issue. It's just... promise me you don't tell them, but Mamoru and me assign them for real world duties because they need to settle into the new times. They would shut themselves up in that creepy house of Kunzite, and go out at night, slaying youmas and patroling and stuff like that, and never learn about the modern times, and it gets them into trouble a lot. But they're too proud to accept any help. So Mamoru assigns them for princess duty, and I take them along so they learn how things are done in our world. Please calm down, Minako-chan, okay? Okay?"
"Okaaay..." said Minako. "But I don't want them to think we can't do the princess duty just as well, if not ten times better. You should take one of us along, too."
"Aw, Minako-chan, that's a great idea! So you can get used to them and see for yourself how nice those guys are these days."
"Nice."
"Aw, come on, Rei-chan hates boys and even she thinks Jadeite is nice."
"Right now, I don't think he's really that nice. I rather think he must be out of his mind."
"Hi everyone, sorry I called so late. So, what did I miss, fill me in! Who's out of his mind?"
"Hi Mako-chaan!" called Usagi so cheerful that everyone flinched. "You wouldn't believe - Jadeite wants to go out with Naru-chan's mom!"
To Rei's anger, Makoto was overly amused by that. "What? And who is having a fit over it, Naru-chan or Rei?"
"Oh, Rei is not jealous at all," said Minako dryly. "She's just super grumpy and is rambling on and on about how wrong it is. Nothing suspicious about that."
"I'm not jealous!" corrected Rei her angrily. "I just think she's too old for him, and only playing with his guilty feelings. And I think it's not going to be a great experience for Naru."
"Yes, you don't sound jealous at all," said Makoto, just as dryly as Minako.
"Rei, seriously," said Minako. "You know Naru is nowhere in this. Mrs Osaka isn't inviting him for a family dinner. She has invited him to her jewellery shop, she might actually show him her latest collection, and after that, she'll take him out for dinner and then they'll look into a nice hotel, where the staff knows her well enough not to ask if the boy is legal."
"MINAKO!" yelled all three.
"What?" she returned with fake innocense. "I do hope though she's taking him out nicely this time, and not just taking it to the workshop or office like in the old days!"
"MINAKOOO!"
"Aw, Minako, really, you can't talk like that..." Makoto had a deep sense of decency and was shocked. "And what do you mean, in the old days, do they know each other?"
"Jadeite used to work for Naru's mother," said Rei. "And when he had gained her trust, he infested her with a youma and made her ruin her own show to collect energy. She doesn't remember that. I heard them talking. To her, he's that overeager little assistant who went mysteriously missing after that incident. She 'missed his smile'."
Minako laughed again.
"I bet she did. I surveyed that show because I had a hunch that Tuxedo Kamen would sneak in and steal the jewellery. Which he tried indeed. And what can I say? Mrs Osaka is really a hard working woman. Staying up all night to give her presentation the finishing touches. And guess who was the dedicated assistent who stayed up all that night with her? Looks like he had some finishing touches to give as well."
"You can stop it right there, Minako!" hissed Rei icily. "I'm not falling for it. You just make this story up to see if I break out into a big fit. I'm not going to. I don't care."
"Absolutely not," chuckled Minako. "That's why you're so angry at me."
"I'm angry because you talk about Mrs Osaka like this just to make fun of me."
"You know..." said Usagi slowly. "You don't need to fight about it. I think I remember her talking to her assistant, and I was admiring her for how warm hearted she was with him. I thought she's really a great boss for her team if she can be so friendly in such a stressful situation. But if it was Jadeite...and I'm almost certain I recognize his voice... she might really have liked him back then. No, don't be mad at me, Rei, I don't believe the things that Minako says about them. She could just have liked him. Without having second thoughts."
Rei remembered the dreamy looks Jadeite had thrown that business card, and the knowing smirk on his face, and sighed.
"But Mako-chan, you don't know the other news!" continued Usagi excitedly. "Minako found out that I take Shitennou with me to town for protection and some real life experience, and now she wants you girls to come along too! So the Shitennou see it's still the senshi's duty to protect the princess."
"A-ha," said Makoto. "She didn't say which Shitennou exactly she wants to be on duty with, by any chance?"
"No, she didn't," said Rei who saw her chance to get back at Minako. "But we all know who it is she wants to see."
"I what? What are you talking about?" asked Minako. "I'm not interested in any of them. Of course not. If I was, I would have asked him out right away. I wouldn't have to resort to be stealthy about it."
"Then you won't mind if Usagi makes you do all the Jadeite shifts?" asked Rei with false concern. "I can take over Zoisite, no problem."
"Because you're not jealous of Jadeite at all and it doesn't matter to you at all who he goes out with."
"Not at all."
"Then why don't you take the Jadeite shifts if you're so cool with him?" snapped Minako.
"Then why don't you take the Zoisite shifts if you're so cool with him?" snapped Rei back.
"Wheeeeaah, yes, let's do it this way, so much more fun!" squealed Usagi.
"Wow," said Makoto. "Looks like Nephrite is free to do Ami duty then while you two sort out your coolness around your boys."
"They're not our boys," snapped Minako and Rei simultaneously.
"Aw, but Mako-chan is right, it would be such a great help for Ami if we did it this way. So noone can say she's desperate for Nephrite. It'll be duty. Come one, we're her friends, and she has such a hard time coming up with reasons to see him. We have to do this for her. You absolutely can't deny that to her!"
Her triumphant tone said that now she had them.
"For the sake of Ami..." grumbled Rei.
"If you absolutely insist..." said Minako, and they could hear an eyeroll in her voice.
"So, Mako-chan, is it okay for you if you get Kunzite duty?" asked Usagi pleadingly. "I know he can be a bit harsh..."
"That's okay. As long as it's clear to him that I am very happy with my Motoki-kun and only interested in professional contact."
"You don't have to stress it like that. That's what we are interested in as well," sulked Minako.
"And nothing else whatsoever," agreed Rei.
"Aw, Ami-chan will be so happy!" squealed Usagi.
Rei didn't feel so enthusiastic about it.
"The Shitennou won't be so happy," she said. "They don't like the idea of Nephrite and Ami together."
"But why?" Usagi really was astonished.
"They probably think Nephrite and Kunzite will fight over her again," suspected Minako. "I don't want to see that happen either."
"Hm, no," said Rei. "Jadeite said..."
She hesitated. She didn't really want to discuss any more things that Jadeite had said. But she had brought it up after all. "He said they're afraid to lose him. He seems to think Nephrite will quit the Shitennou for her. He says he's done it before."
"Really?" Makoto was surprised. "You mean when he saved Ami, he knew he'd die for it? How romantic..."
"Then he deserved to be with her all the more," Usagi said firmly. "Don't give me that reproachful silence, Minako-chan. Don't you see how romantic this is?"
"Not really, no. He was lying in his bloos before her, I can think of ten thousand things that are more romantic than that."
"I can't believe you're saying this, Minako-chan. How terrible!" Usagi was hurt. "Aren't you the senshi of love, too? Shouldn't you support Ami's love?"
Minako sighed. "I don't like to admit it, but you're right. They should at least have a chance. But we have to keep an eye on them. And on the Shitennou too."
"Aw, Minako-chan, I knew you're a total romantic too. So Rei, how about you? What do you say?"
"First, I say I'm not a romantic. Second, I really have enough of discussing other people's dates for today. But Ami wants him. She's smart, she can handle this. But the moment she's unhappy, we'll kick his stupid butt."
"Sounds like a plan," grinned Minako.
"And if you want me to kick Jadeite's butt right now, you just have to say the word," assured her Makoto.
"I'm not unhappy! And if he needs a kick, I can do that myself."
"Just trying to help."
"Aw, leave Rei-chan alone, everyone. She's likes a boy but has issues with dating. That's bad enough. Don't make it worse."
"I don't like Jadeite... I mean, I do, but not like that. Certainly not like that."
"How do you know?" chuckled Minako. "Kiss him. Then we talk about how you like him exactly."
"No," said Rei firmly. "I can't do that. I won't play with him. It would be cruel. You don't understand Jadeite at all."
"And you wouldn't believe how happy I am about this."
"Aw... Minako-chan, Jadeite is really nice..."
Rei had to smile as she listened to the bickering that started between Minako and Usagi.
As embarrasing as it was to be teased by her girlfriends, she felt much calmer now. She had been reminded of what it was that she and Jadeite had, and she knew she had to find a way to apologize and be friends again.